EastEnders star Molly Rainford has revealed why she left the soap after two and a half years. Appearing on The One Show alongside her fiancé, Tyler West, on Tuesday (9 December), Rainford, who was on hand to talk about the Celebrity Race Across The World final, was asked about her recent exit.
“It was really bittersweet,” Rainford, who portrayed Anna Knight, told Alex Jones and Clara Amfo. “I love working with everyone and I’ve had the most amazing two and a half years there but I just wanted to spread my wings and go get some experience elsewhere, and use what I have learnt at EastEnders. I did share a little tear watching the last ep.”
In Anna’s farewell episode, which aired on 2 December, fans watched as the character left Walford to go travelling with her long-time love interest, Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier). Shortly after her exit aired on BBC One, Rainford took to Instagram, where she reflected on her EastEnders journey.
Posting a carousel of photos from behind the scenes, Rainford wrote: “Your girl Anna Knight is off to Australia. I can’t put into words just how wonderful the last few years at @bbceastenders has been.
“Anna’s laughed, cried, worked and lived in the Vic (still surreal), been in a love triangle, been spiked, got pregnant, had tough conversations about Race and her mum came back from the dead. No wonder she needs a break from Walford.
BBC
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“It really is a family, the cast and crew are truly special,” the actor continued. “I’m gonna miss working alongside them every day. Especially the lovely Knights, Beales and Peacock/Carters. Couldn’t have asked for better people to learn from and laugh with day in and day out. I want to thank everyone so much for all the love and support, it means the absolute world.”
Concluding her post, Rainford teased: “Let’s be honest, no one goes travelling forever,” hinting at a potential return to the soap one day.
BBC
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While it’s unknown if Anna will resurface in Walford in the future, for the time being, Rainford can be seen in season three of Celebrity Race Across The World, which will conclude with the grand finale on 11 December.
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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